


The Lion's Den

by pedrowrites



Series: Lions of the Rock [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Ableist Language, Gen, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 12:11:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3173412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pedrowrites/pseuds/pedrowrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cersei Lannister explores Casterly Rock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lion's Den

Watching the ships that sailed near the Rock was one of Cersei’s simple pleasures. The way they easily slid the sea, bringing men and goods from everywhere in the Known World was absolutely fascinating. At the moment she came to the balcony, resting her arms on the yellowish stone, a trade cog from Braavos was just passing under, its purple sails beautifully contrasting against the blue of the Sunset Sea. It was a peaceful sight, although things had been _too_ peaceful around, given the Baratheon’s uprising against the Iron Throne.

News of the rebellion had reached Casterly Rock a couple of days before. Uncle Tygget had brought the subject to dinner, but her lord father cut him in the middle of his speech, despite everyone’s high interest in the matter. She wondered if Lord Tywin had anything in mind. “ _He always has_ ”, she thought, caressing over her necklace. _Her mother’s necklace_. It was made of gold, and was inlaid with an emerald which matched her green eyes. Since her mother’s death her father had been much more silent. She wondered how it must be horrible to lose the love of your lifetime.

Her thoughts wandered to Jaime. Oh, she missed him so much. They barely had had time to say goodbye to each other. She missed him; she missed his kisses, and the nights they spent together. She was worried about him. Being at court, with no one he could rely on, and the Mad King always around, his paranoia at its height. She should have stayed in King’s Landing, yes, near him, and go through all this together. At least he would not be married with any other girl, now that he was part of the Kingsguard. But what if something did happen to him? She could never imagine herself without him. Her twin, the other part of her soul, the only one who made her feel whole… in more ways than one.

She bit her lip and decided to go to the sept. Not that she was religious, it was so boring to hear the septas talk about manners and being a pious person; it made her yawn. “ _If they knew what I do with Jaime they would be completely horrified_ ”, she thought, chuckling. The white marble stones of the sept’s floor were decorated with onyx in the shape of seven-pointed stars. The Seven were represented on the stone walls with stained glass, and on gilded statues above the altars. And so she stayed there, praying for her brother’s safety and well-being. The godswood was another option, of course, but Cersei did not like the place. The weirwood inside it occupied almost all the cave, its twisted pale roots looking more like a hellish maze. And the eyes, the eyes made her uncomfortable, like as if they were constantly watching her, like they knew her darkest secrets and deepest fears. Besides, they were northern gods, and it wouldn’t be very well regarded by the westerlanders that the daughter of their liege lord to be praying for those strange gods. No, the godswood was out of question.

***

Casterly Rock was a mighty castle. It had thousands of passages and halls, many of which Cersei had never gone to before. She liked to explore, to know the place. _Her home_. That particular day Cersei felt like walking around. She promptly started to dress herself, a beautiful cream dress with a touch of golden fabric here and there. She also wore a simple necklace made out from shells. After breakfast, she slid from the chair and started her little adventure, going through the numerous halls and corridors that had been carved directly from the stone.

One of her favourite place in the Rock was a tunnel she liked to call “the Lion’s Veins”, for ithad streaks of gold blended with the walls, which gleamed and glittered all the way through the passage. You could even listen to the sound of the waves against the Rock, a mighty roar from which Cersei drove strength from. “ _I’m a lioness, and this is my den_ ”, she thought, content.

There was also the library, high up the stairs, which had a breath-taking view of the Sunset Sea and Lannisport. The room itself was a very large structure, with golden stairs and scarlet cushions where one could sit back and read about the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, or Asshai-by-the-Shadow. The archive contained thousands of books, most of which her Uncle Gerion had already fervently read. She did not quite enjoy reading, but rather she preferred for her uncle to tell stories of the Lannister lore, especially the one about Lann the Clever and the Casterlys. It always amazed her how brilliant Lann had been, to trick the inhabitants of the Rock out and claiming it as his own.

Enormous as it was, Casterly Rock had enough space to house hundreds of people, and still many of the rooms were empty. The most prominent members of House Lannister dwelled on the upper levels of the Rock, in big quarters richly decorated with gold and gems and marble. The ones who were not so fortunate lived on smaller accommodations, some of which did not even have windows. Some said the castle had secret passages, but Cersei did not bother to check if there were any. The Rock was impregnable, and it had never been taken out by storm or siege.

The great hall was, of course, the greatest showcase of House Lannister’s wealth and power. The white marble walls, columns 30 feet high from floor to ceiling, golden chandeliers and six huge fireplaces spread around the hall to make the cold evenings less chilly. Everywhere one looked, golden lions and colourful Lannister banners decorated the place. A big set of tables were positioned on the left side of the hall, while the right side was reserved for the dancing balls and occasional masquerades.

It was almost midday when she decided to go downstairs and have lunch. The servants came with the dish courses, served on gold platters, not on silver ones like in the rest of the realm. Fresh food directly from the sea was the main course, shrimps and fish and lobsters. And wine, plenty of wine from the cellars beneath the halls, drank from golden cups inlaid with amethysts. It tasted sweet in her mouth, though she knew that she should not drink too much otherwise her day would be impaired. After finishing, Cersei gave a courteous smile to the others on the table and walked away.

***

Upon her way to the beach near the castle she encountered many of her relatives. Cousins, mainly, some of whom she had never met before. Remembering the names of all of them was simply impossible. So she just gave a gracious smile and continued walking.

The lovely atmosphere of the coast always made Cersei feel better; she found the movement of the waves relaxing, as well as the flight of the seagulls in the sky. She also liked to collect shells, from all sizes and colours, to make her own jewellery, or to ornament dresses. Collecting shells made her remind of when she was a child, and when she and Lady Joanna spent time together. She decided to see her; it had been some time since her last visit. She put some shells on her pockets, the prettiest ones at least, and made her way to the Lion’s Mouth.

It was an impressive sight, the Lion’s Mouth, a colossal entrance to a colossal castle. Gigantic lion statues guarded the entrance to the Rock, and the way that led into it was so wide that many knights could ride side by side though it. Servants and some of her many relatives poured in and out of it, and again Cersei had to put a smile on her face, and be a polite lady.

Once inside Casterly Rock she went through halls and corridors and stairs over and over until she found it: a black stone door, which could be easily opened thanks to a system of pulleys and ropes. It had been the idea of her Lord father to facilitate the entrance to the crypts.

The Hall of Heroes, as it was called, was an impressive burial chamber, where many noble lords, knights, and even some ladies rested to eternity. Lannisters, most of them, but in the oldest parts of it there where some Casterlys too.  The place was illuminated by torches, and the shadows took deformed shapes with the flickering of the flames. It was not Cersei’s favourite part of the castle. “ _A lioness does not fear the dark or the shadows_ ”, she thought, while pacing alongside the tombstones. Her lady mother’s grave was a splendid work of masonry, red granite and gold, with stone flowers on the sides. However, as she approached it, she saw a small figure kneeled near it, and when Cersei was close enough to recognize the face, her jaw dropped in utter shock.

“How _dare_ you??!!”, she snapped in her rage. “Step back from her grave, you little rat!” Tyrion Lannister, her nine-year-old brother, gazed at her with a hurt expression on his face, accidentally dropping some of the daisies he held in his hand. “I- I’m just honouring mother, Cersei, that’s…”, he tried to explain, but was cut by his furious sister, who vehemently reprimanded him. “Honouring her, you say? You, who ripped her in two? You, the biggest disgrace of this House? You, who has the audacity to come here to my mother’s place of rest, after you killed her?” She hit him in the face, and he fell on his back with a silent thud. She was about to strike him again, when they heard footsteps coming in their way.

Lord Tywin Lannister loomed out of the shadows, his cold, hard eyes fixed on his children. He wore a black coat with golden lions on each shoulder, and a crimson cape. “Father, …”, Cersei began, but the man silenced her with an icy stare. “Get out of here. Both of you.” Cersei needed no more words to realise it was better to obey to her father’s orders than to receive a reprimand, so both youngsters got out of his sight as quickly as they could. When they stepped out of the Hall of Heroes, however, Cersei did not forget to step on her brother’s, the little _monster_ , foot.

***

She left him there and went up the stairs, over the rooms and hallways, and finally got to her room. Her sanctuary, she liked to call it, for she was rarely bothered there. Cersei closed the door and jumped on her bed. She wondered why her father had come to the crypts. Was it for Lady Joanna? Was it because it was one of the few places where he could find quietness? Or was it for something else? Getting out of bed and resting her elbows on the balcony, she let out a deep sigh. There was one thing that she was certain of, however. “Casterly Rock needs fewer stairs”

**Author's Note:**

> Third fic! Longer than the other two, but just as aweasome (or so I hope). This might get a second part focused on Tywin, though I don't promise anything. Well, that's it, I really hope you liked it!


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